Headlight connector



Sept. 22, 1942. H. c. DOANE HEADLIGHT CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 28, 1940YPatented Sept 22, A1942.v

i UNITE-o 4STM Es. v.PATENT OFFICE HEADLIGl-IT CONNECTOR Harry.0.`Donne, Flint, Mich., assigner to General Motors Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 28,1948, Serial No. 358,777

. v 3 Claims.

Thisinvention has to. do with an improvement in 'connectors forelectrical'wiring, particularly connectors designed for attachment tothe terminals of bulbs such as are used on automobile headlampsor to theterminals of complete light projecting unite er the type known es.seeied Beam headlamps. It may also be used to connect the ends of wirestogether wherever desired.,

One type of connector heretofore developed consists of a suitablehousingof insulating msterial containing one or more passages in each of whichis secured a clip 'adapted to be fastened preferably apertured esindicated et u in 'Figure 2.

-I8 indicates the connector consisting of an insulator i8 having one ormore passages 28 therethrough each having an abutment22 extending intothe passage toward one end. Passages 28 are provided with shoulders 24at opposite sides thereof as indicated in Figure 2. 26 indicates' aconductor for leading current to the connector.

to the end of a conductor and comprising a pair of parallel sheet metalmembers or blades adapted to receive a terminal between them. In orderto yieldinglv. press the blades against the terminal the ends of theblades through which the bulb terminal enters were doubled back uponthem- Aselves, the doubled-back portions bearing against thewalls of thepassage and tending to yieldingly The conductor is provided with theusual covering of insulation'indicated at 28. To the conductor issecured a clip 38 consisting of a sleeve portion 82 clamped about theinsulation 28 and having reduced end portion 84 soldered to the end ofconductox; 28. This soldering may be easily accomplished by dipping theconductor with clip attached in molten solder. 88 indicates bladesextending laterally from the cylindrical portion 82 prees the bladestoward each other to gripl the ter,-

minal vbetween them'.

After considerable testing of connec'tors of the type described it was-found that good contact could not be obtained for the blades 'tended todiverge instead of remaining parallel and gripping -the bulb terminal.Also since they were necessarily made of material havinggood electricalconductivity such as copper, which is relatively soft, the-blades becamepermanently deformed and provided with return bent yielding portions 88serving as detents as hereinafter pointed out.

In assembling the parts so far described, conductor 28 28 with theattached clip 82 is in- '.serted in passage. 20 from the right hand endas shown in Figures l and 2 until the ends of the return bent portions88 snap behind the shoulders 24 and the clip engages abutment 22. Inthis position of the parts the clip is prevented from gowhen .theconnector was pushed into position over the bulb termin'aL The resultwas poor contact with accompanying drop in voltage and possible I havefound thatthis diiliculty may be avoided by employing separate springmeans for urging the blades toward each other. This spring means maytake the form of coil springs made of steel wire or other resilientmaterial, interposed between the blades and the walls of the passage. It

has been found that with this construction good contact-is obtainedunder all conditions encountercd in service. The added cost is slight.

Intho drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of the connector applied to a lamp4 bulb.

mure 2 is a composite sectional view showing the clipl in two diiferentpositions in an insulator housing.

Figure 3 is an exploded ,view of the springs used with lt.

In the drawing, il indicates a conventional incandescent lampprovided'with spaced termilclip and the nils indicated at I2. Each ofthe terminals is ing thro'ugh the passage 28 by engagement with abutment22 and is prevented from being pulled out in the other direction Vbyengagement of return bent portions 38 with shoulders 24.v

' With the construction described, dltllculty has been experienced inobtaining good .contact between the terminal l2 and the blades 88. Ihave found that this difllculty can be overcome by applying additionalspring pressure to the blades 88 and have done this conveniently andcheaply by inserting coil springs 48 between the blades 88 and the wallsof passage 28. These springs may be made of metal such as steel which isresilient and does not take a set." A further advantage oi'this'arrangement is the fact that the springs permit blades 88 to floatto some extent in thev passage 28. This is desirable inasmuch as theterminals I2 at the base of the bulb are not positioned with absoluteaccuracy in manufacture and the iloating' mounting of the clips insuresthat the connector will lit the terminals despite these variations.

150 If desired, provision may be made for anchoring the springs in placeas -by provision of depressions or locating lugs in the passage 28 to4receive them. It will usually be found desirable to provide pressed-outportion 44 on one of the blades '88 to snap into passage or depressionAI4 in the tersage, and having a socket alongsidethe passager andparallel therewith, the end oisaid socket adjacent said .end of thepassage being closed, the opposite end of :the lsocketvbeingopenand'coma passage therethrough'lprovided with opposed shouldersintermediate its ends facing one endo! the passage, and having a socketalongside the municating laterally with ysaid passage,` a clip made ofsheetmetal vand comprising an intermediate looped portion seated in thesocket and aligned therewith and secured to a conductor extending giromthe open end of the socket, parallel blade members extendingY laterallyfrom the looped portion into saidV passage and adapted to receive aterminal between them, one of said blade members being -provided with `areturnbent portion having its end engaged behind said Yshoulder toprevent withdrawal oi' the clip from the passage in the direction o! theopen end ofthe socket, a wall of the socket engaging said clip toprevent withdrawal of the clip in the opposite direction, and springmeans engaging said blades and yieldingly urging them into engagementwith Y Veach other.

2. A connector comprising an insulator having passage andparallel-therewith, the endfof said socket adjacent said end of thepassage being closed, the opposite end of the socket being open andcommunicating laterally with said passage, a clip made of sheet metaland. comprising an intermediate looped portion seated in the socket andaligned therewith and secured to a conductor extending from the open endoi the socket, parallel blade members extending laterally from thelooped portion into said passage and adapted to receive a terminalbetween them, said blade members being provided with return-bentportions having their ends 'engaged behind said shoulders to preventwithdrawal of the clip trom the passage in the direction of the open endof the socket, a wall of the socket engaging said clip to preventwithdrawal oi.' the clip in the opposite direction, and spring meansengaging said blades and 'yieldingly urging them into engagement witheach other.

3. In the combination as'dened in yclaim 2, said spring means engagingsaid vblades at the ends opposite said looped portions.

' HARRY o.l DoANs.

